Treating UTIs With Ciprofloxacin: Pros And Cons

Today, many people believe that ciprofloxacin urinary tract infection treatments are truly the best on the market. While Cipro remains a first choice medication for treating UTIs, there are a number of disadvantages. At the very least, if you have a UTI, or must make a decision about treatment for a child, you should be aware of the benefits, as well as the drawbacks associated with using this medication.

Avoid dairy products and sweets while taking ciprofloxacin for uti

Advantages of Using Cipro

Overall, you will find that Cipro works quickly and effectively to reduce UTI symptoms. Typically, you should start to notice decreased burning and pain within 24 hours. If you have a kidney infection, pain and other symptoms will usually begin to subside within an additional 24 hours. Aside from this, you will also find that Cipro is cheaper than a number of newer quinolones. This includes Levaquin and Avelox which are classified as third and fourth generation antibiotics.

Side Effects and Other Disadvantages of using Cipro

Even though antibiotic manufacturers are constantly creating new variants of quinolone antibiotics, resistant bacterial strains are evolving much faster. In some communities, you may find that resistance to Cipro and other quinolones is as high as 25%. Unfortunately, the increased usage of these antibiotics on commercial meat and dairy farms may also indicate that resistant bacteria will emerge even faster in the near future.

When you are taking Cipro you will also have to avoid eating dairy products as much as possible. Oddly enough, even if you do not normally eat dairy products, you may wind up craving them while using Cipro. Since Cipro’s effectiveness is reduced by exposure to sunlight, you should do what you can to stay indoors and out of the sun while taking this medication.

It is also important to understand that using ciprofloxacin urinary tract infection regimens also comes with some serious side effects. In particular, you may develop severe sprains or tendinitis weeks, and even months after you stop taking these medications. While a study on rats conducted by Y Kashida indicates that fairly low rates of tendinitis occurred in rats given Cipro, human patients tend to have issues with all of the quinolones. Even if a sprain does not occur immediately, weakness in the tissue may cause ruptures and tears that would not normally occur while engaging in any given activity.

When it comes to treatment for UTIs, many people want an antibiotic that will work as quickly as possible. As long as you are not allergic to Cipro, and the bacteria strain is not resistant to it, most doctors will recommend this antibiotic. On the other hand, you should be aware that dietary restrictions and exposure to light can severely impact the effectiveness of Cipro. In addition, if you tend to be active in sports, or are already prone to sprains, using ciprofloxacin urinary tract infection regimens can leave you with an increased risk for injury.